Ball Joint replacement help

[dieseldumb]

1992 E350 ambulance

Mechanic wants $1300 to replace the ball joints. Just can't swing that much so will have to tackle on my own. A few questions...


What tools will I need?

Any hints to make the job easier?

Any thing to watch out for?

Will it need alignment after the replacing of the joints?

Thanks.

 

[franklin2]

Is this 2wd or 4wd?

 

[Goofyexponent]

I am not 100%, but I think you will need an alignment. I think the top ball joint uses a cam eccentric to set the camber.

Do yourself a favor and buy or rent or bottow a ball joint press and a pickle fork. It's going to save you some headaches.

Ball joints aren't as bad on a 2wd as it is on a 4x4. I would separate the tie rod ends from the knuckle so you can completely remove it!

 

[dieseldumb]

2 wheel drive

has insta chains on rear tires

 

[fields_mj]

$1300?!?!?!?!?!? Wow! First thing I had done to my truck when I got it last year was new ball joints. It happend to include new wheel bearings along the way because mine were shot. Alignment was way out too. My ball joints and bearings cost me about $250 in labor, plus probably another $150 in parts. The labor was a real deal. The labor probably would have cost me around $500 at a stealership. Had my alignment done at a NAPA place for about $150, and I thought I got the shaft on that one. I'd get some other prices.

 

[mikelara]

extremely simple to do. mark the alignment cam and beam with a paint marker before taking them apart, this will get rid of the need for an alignment afterwards. rent a balljoint press from vatozone($100 deposite), or go to HF and buy the same one for $30 and own it. they are kinda tricky at first to find out the combination of adapters so the balljoint pin wont bottom out before its pressed completely out, but its not that bad. $1300 is crazy, depending on your skillls should take anywhere from 1.5hrs to 4-days haha.

 

[plywood]

So to confirm, you have used the HF one and it works?

My concern has been that I would then have to buy their adapter set for $60.00 to make it work.

 

[jhnlennon]

So to confirm, you have used the HF one and it works?

My concern has been that I would then have to buy their adapter set for $60.00 to make it work.

You want the adapter set as it comes with the long cone to do the top ball joint on the TTB front end(I know I had to use some of the adapters to do my f250's). And besides it will do just about any vehicle then. Another trick I have learned is to pound on the knuckle around the ball joint when you have pressure on it from the press. Makes it A WHOLE LOT EASIER to get the joint out rather then putting excessive force on it with the tool. Its a fairly labor intensive job especially if you live in the rustbelt. I wont even touch doing one for less then 300 bucks labor(and I work cheap), its at least a half a days job to do the whole front. Taking your time it could easily consume a whole weekend.

 

[bike-maker]

Took me a solid weekend on a truck I used to own. I got it done with some monster cast iron C-clamps, 3/4" socket set, pickle fork, and BFH. The trick was getting a good amount of pressure on the ball joint with the C-clamp and appropriate sized socket, then whacking the side of the housing the ball joint is pressed into. The whack with the hammer distorts the bore for a split second, just long enough to pop the thing loose. But it was definitely a wrestling match